Arts Access Fund

The Arts Access Fund is a registered charitable organization established in 2008 in order to open important doors to children and youth who have the interest, but not the means, to develop their artistic talent. Scholarships are offered in visual art, drama, music, dance and film making. The young people supported by this fund are not only developing their natural creative abilities, they are also learning the life skills associated with seriously pursuing one of the arts. They are learning about passion, commitment, persistence, listening well and most of all – being accountable. There are so many positive outcomes of being well trained in an art form. Students gain the ability to take initiative. They learn to recognize their own unique gifts. And they come to make a habit of striving for excellence. A large proportion of our scholarship students are from families who immigrated to Canada within the last few years. Most scholarship students are referred by social service organizations and by inner city schools who know of students who would not be in a position to take advantage of arts training because of limited financial resources. For some of these students, finding kindred spirits in an art class, and being encouraged by a caring teacher, has been hugely helpful in their integration into a new and foreign culture. Whether or not they pursue art as a vocation, the experience of art-making under the guidance of inspiring teachers, gives these young people many valuable resources with which to move forward in their lives.